At the moment chip producers in the semiconductor industry are working on the introduction of so-called 65-nanometer structures (Computertechnik (10), 2007). Even smaller structures of 45 nm are in the process of being developed. However, these dimensions too are only intermediate steps on the road to even smaller structures. Based on the advancing miniaturisation of semiconductor components, new challenges are arising for the manufacturers of printed circuit boards with chip-carriers to adapt their products to new conditions. This means, for example, that current demands for structure dimensions of approx. 25 μm have to be realised if they want to stay in the market. At the same time, it is already clear that in the near future dimensions will get even smaller. It is no longer possible to realise such precision structures with the necessary quality using today's conventional methods and apparatuses in printed circuit board production. In the miniaturisation of structures, structures with irregular contours, even bridges (short-circuits) or interrupts are observed. In addition, it has also been established that the uniformity of the metal layers deposited is insufficient. This is not acceptable as the electric characteristics of the circuits produced in this way will be impaired in an unforeseeable manner, which means that the circuits will have to be rejected.
The aforementioned requirements for the highly precise production of printed circuit boards come with demands to be able to produce these printed circuit boards again and again in very large quantities in as cost-effective manner as possible.
In the past various proposals have been made to achieve the abovementioned objects:
WO 2006/002969 A2, for example, specifies an apparatus for the chemical or electrolytic treatment of material to be treated, the said apparatus comprising treatment containers for the treatment of the material to be treated and a transport system for transporting the material to be treated. The apparatus has a clean room zone that connects to the treatment containers. The material to be treated can be transported through the clean room zone by means of the transport system. The clean room zone is more especially spatially defined by a clean room housing, which includes through-openings and is loaded with excessive pressure through the supply of purified gas. A transport system that comprises a retaining element is used to retain the material to be treated. The retaining element is preferably disposed substantially inside the clean room zone.
WO 2004/022814 A2 also specifies an apparatus for the electrolytic treatment of material to be treated that is at least on the surface thereof electrically conductive, the said apparatus comprising power supply devices for the material to be treated. The power supply devices of the apparatus each comprise contact strips, which contact the material to be treated electrically at side edges that are situated substantially opposite one another. The contact strips can be secured to support frames, and the support frames can be supported by means of support elements in a container, which is to accommodate the treatment fluid. The support elements can be displaceable, which means that the positions of the support frames relative to the support points in the container are variable.
WO 2006/015871 A1 also specifies a container for a vertical plating treatment system for the treatment of work pieces, the said container having a container interior, which is defined by container walls and a container bottom and is formed by at least two container modules. The walls and the bottom of the container in each case define module interior spaces with identical heights and widths. Mounting parts are provided in the containers, such as contact frames, contact clamps, power supply means, movement devices, guide elements for the material to be treated, nozzles, more especially injection nozzles, spray nozzles and surge nozzles, devices introducing air, pumps, heating elements, cooling elements, filters, sensors, dosing devices and devices for chemical treatment. The mounting parts can be retained by support frames and can be lifted together with the support frames in and out of the container. A plurality of containers can be disposed in a matrix-like manner in rows and series.
In addition, WO 2006/000439 A1 specifies a treatment system which comprises at least one row of treatment stations and at least one translatory manipulator. This manipulator comprises at least one driving element, which is drivable along a row of at least two treatment stations, and at least one lifting element and at least one gripping element for the material to be treated, mounted on the lifting element. The lifting elements and the gripping elements are expandable in a modular manner such that the lifting elements, in the expanded case extend transversely relative to at least two rows of treatment stations. Each row of treatment stations is associated with at least one gripping element. The lifting element is formed by at least one lifting unit retained by at least one transverse crossbeam or by at least one transverse crossbeam retained by at least one lifting unit. The transverse crossbeam extends across the rows of treatment stations. The gripping elements are formed by two clamps, which grip the material to be treated, are pivotally mounted by means of respective pivotal points and can be actuated by axial displacement of a respective portion of the clamp.
In addition, DE 195 39 868 C1 describes a transport apparatus for conveying vertically orientated, plate-shaped objects for their chemical or electrolytic surface treatment, the said apparatus comprising a clamp-like lower pick-up region, by means of which these objects can be accommodated and which can be actuated by means of an element that is displaceable substantially vertical between two end positions. The apparatus comprises clamping parts, which are held in a pincer-like manner and have at their lower end contact portions as pick-up regions. The contact portions are actuated via a pivotal connection for detecting and releasing the object by means of a sliding body retained in a clamping suspension. The pivotal connection comprises two articulated arms, one being pivotally mounted on one side at the bottom end of the sliding body and on the other side at the top end of the contact portion. The movement sequence of the sliding body is realised into two consecutive movement sequences of the contact portion, namely into a substantially horizontally extending spreading or clamping movement and a substantially vertically extending raising or lowering movement when transferring from the retaining to the releasing position or vice versa.
An apparatus for the transport of a material to be treated in an electrolysis system is specified in WO 2006/125629 A1. This apparatus is designed in such a manner that the material to be treated is transported along a transport path in a defined transport plane. The apparatus includes a plurality of clamps, which are disposed spaced apart along the transport path so as to be displaceable. The apparatus has a drive to move the clamps along the transport path. The clamps comprise a first clamping face disposed on one side of the transport plane and a second clamping face disposed on the oppositely situated side of the transport plane. The clamping faces are designed in such a manner that both the first clamping face and the second clamping face are displaceable with regard to the transport plane in order to close the clamps for gripping the material to be treated or respectively to open the clamps for releasing the material to be treated. The position of the bottom clamping face adjoining the transport plane can be guaranteed, for example, by means of a stop member.
In addition, DE 91 02 321 U1 relates to an automatic loading apparatus for electroplating printed circuit boards. This apparatus comprises, i.e., a plurality of clamping devices, which are secured to a support frame. The clamping devices comprise clamps, which each comprise a front arm and a rear arm, which are pivotable in a central position. The top end of the rear arm is fixedly connected to a drag-rod. In addition, the clamps are disposed in the support frame, on which pneumatic cylinders are situated, with which the front and rear arms can be pressed. When these cylinders are actuated, they press against the respective top part of the rear or front arm of each clamp, the clamps thereby being opened for gripping or releasing the printed circuit boards.
EP 0 517 349 A1 describes an arrangement for a system for the chemical treatment of printed circuit boards, in which the boards are supplied to a loading station and from there are brought to treatment stations in the system by means of flight bars moved by transport carts and are afterwards returned to an unloading station. The boards are detachably suspended on the respective flight bar by means of clamps and are gripped in this case at an edge area. The clamps each include clamp arms, which are moved into a clamping position by means of a spring. One of the clamping arms is mounted on a flight bar, the other is pivotable about a pivot point in opposition to spring pressure and can be moved from a closed position into an open position by means of a thrust piece.
DE 42 43 252 A1, in addition, specifies an apparatus for retaining printed circuit boards by means of a support frame, which includes a substantially horizontally extending support part, which is provided with spring-loaded clamps, which are provided for retaining and contacting the printed circuit boards electrically at their side edges. The clamps are retained at an upper brace. The clamps comprise a part that is fixed to the brace, wherein the part includes an axis about which a moveable part is pivotable and which is pre-biased by a spring in opposition to the closed position of the clamp.
Finally, EP 0 666 343 A1 specifies an apparatus for the electrolytic deposition of metal on a coatable substrate, the said apparatus comprising, i.e., a clamping device. The substrate can be mounted by its upper edge to a bus bar. The clamping device clamps the bottom edge of the substrate as soon as the bus bar with the substrate is immersed into a container. The clamp comprises at least two lever arms, which are rotatably interconnected by means of a pivot point, the clamp, when floating on the surface of a liquid, is in an open position and when submerged, is in a closed position due to its buoyancy.
The known apparatuses have the disadvantage that the work pieces are not treated precisely enough to be able to produce metal structures again and again in the aforementioned structural sizes. This is the case particularly when the work pieces are thin and foil-like.